Zain Verjee (born February 11, 1974) is a Kenyan-born Canadian

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

based in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

and the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

area. She is a former

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

anchor and correspondent.

Education

Verjee was born in Kenya and attended Hillcrest Prep School and Hillcrest Secondary School in Nairobi. She later received her undergraduate degree in English from

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. She graduated from

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

with a

Master of Studies A Master of Studies or Master in Studies (M.St., MSt, or MStud; ) is the holder of a postgraduate degree awarded by the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of St Andrews, the Australian National University, the University of ...

degree in Creative Writing.

Career

Journalism

Verjee started working as a radio DJ for 98.4 Capital FM. She became more interested in journalism after the reporting of the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi, which was close to the radio station. She became a news presenter on Kenya Television Network shortly afterward, as well as doing some work for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. Verjee joined CNN in 2000. As the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

correspondent covering

Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza "Condi" Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist serving since 2020 as the 8th director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served ...

, Verjee travelled the world covering U.S. foreign policy. Among her journeys, she covered the trip Rice took to Libya, and eventually was a lead reporter covering the fall of

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...

. In July 2006, she reported from the Korean DMZ, winning an award for the coverage. In September 2006, she interviewed the former Iranian president

Mohammad Khatami Mohammad Khatami (born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician and Shia cleric who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to 1992. Later, he was critic ...

on his first visit to Chicago. While reporting on protests following Kenya's national elections in 2008, Verjee was hit by a tear gas canister shot by police. Verjee was the anchor of

CNN International Cable News Network International or CNN International (CNNi, simply branded on-air as CNN) is an international television channel and website, owned by CNN Worldwide. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates ...

's European daytime program ''World One''. She worked as a newsreader for The Situation Room and as a co-anchor of CNN International's '' Your World Today'' with Jim Clancy. In April 2014, Verjee announced she was leaving CNN after 14 years to create her own media production company.

Zain Verjee Group

Zain Verjee Group is based in New York and Nairobi with a focus on African businesses and lifestyle stories. They have worked with Bloomberg Media, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Equity Group Foundation of Kenya, the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

, the MiSK Foundation, and the

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA or ECA; , CEA) was established in 1958 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council to encourage economic cooperation among its member states (the nations of the Africa, African contin ...

on their public relations.

Entrepreneurship

Verjee co-founded aKoma Media, a continental network of workspaces for Africa's creative and cultural economy, in 2015. The company shut down in 2019 due to financial hardships. Her other ventures include Amplify, a content creator fellowship with participants from East/West Africa and the U.S., in partnership with MasterCard Foundation.

Personal life

Verjee is an

Ismaili Muslim Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept M ...

, a minority group in the

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

sect of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. When she was 23, she published a children's book, ''Live & On the Air''. It explores experiences of a young girl who moves from rural Kenya to Nairobi to work as a broadcaster. In January 2014, Verjee reported that she had struggled with

psoriasis Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by patches of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small localized patches to complete b ...

since her childhood and though it affected the way she related with others, she won the battle against the disease through eating well and maintaining a good mental attitude.

References

External links

Zain Verjee Group Official Website
*

May 20, 2001.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verjee, Zain 1974 births Living people Canadian Ismailis Canadian Muslims Canadian people of Indian descent Canadian television news anchors Canadian women television journalists CNN people Kenyan emigrants to Canada McGill University alumni Writers from Nairobi